Ivy is an attractive and invaluable plant for adding year-round interest to walls and fences, especially in shade. However, its vigorous nature means it can quickly grow out-of-bounds.
Adding English ivy to a fence can create a gorgeous natural backdrop in your outdoor space. This classic vine has been beautifying gardens for centuries with its glossy evergreen foliage and gentle trailing habit. With proper care English ivy can quickly cover unsightly chain link or wood fences with a blanket of green.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about successfully growing English ivy on a fence,
Choosing the Right Spot
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English ivy thrives in zones 4-9 and can tolerate full sun to full shade. For optimal growth on a fence, partial shade is ideal.
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Pick a fence that faces east, west or north. A north-facing fence will provide the most shade.
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Make sure the soil surrounding the fence is moist and well-draining. Amend with compost if needed.
Selecting the Best Ivy Variety
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Standard English ivy (Hedera helix) is the most popular. It’s fast growing, hardy and adaptable.
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‘Glacier’ has gorgeous silver variegation on the leaves.
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‘Goldchild’ features bright golden leaves that make a stunning contrast.
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‘Shamrock’ is a dwarf variety under 1 foot tall, perfect for short fences.
Preparing the Fence
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Clean the fence of dirt, debris and flaky paint using a pressure washer.
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Drill 1 inch holes into the fence every 12 inches if possible. Space closer for a quicker cover.
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Paint on rooting hormone to help the ivy establish faster. Let dry.
Planting the Ivy Cuttings
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Take 4-6 inch cuttings from an existing ivy plant. Each should have a few leaves.
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Optional: Dip the cut end in rooting hormone.
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Insert into holes drilled in the fence. Push soil around stems.
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Water thoroughly until established. Expect roots in 2-3 months.
Caring for the Growing Ivy
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Water 1-2 times per week until established, then weekly.
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Apply balanced fertilizer monthly during growing season.
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Prune back wayward stems as needed to contain growth.
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Cut back by 1/3 in late winter to control size and maintain shape.
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Watch for pests like spider mites. Hose off vines to control.
Training the Ivy to Cover the Fence
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Weave and tie horizontal stems along lower fence line to root and create a thick base.
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Continue weaving stems upwards, securing with soft ties until ivy attaches itself.
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Remove ties once ivy has anchored itself. This may take 1-2 years.
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A mature fence covering may take 3-5 years depending on your climate.
Enjoying the Benefits of Ivy on Fences
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Adds year-round greenery and natural beauty to otherwise bland fences.
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Provides privacy screening and seclusion for yards and gardens.
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The glossy foliage can help reduce noise from neighboring streets or yards.
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Gives shelter, food and nesting sites to birds, bees and butterflies.
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Can provide insulation that reduces temperature fluctuations inside homes.
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Helps filter airborne dust, pollution and allergens in suburban areas.
With the right care, English ivy can quickly transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Let this classic vine work its magic on your fence for a gorgeous living backdrop everyone will envy.
Is ivy a weed?
In many situations ivy is a useful plant. It has long been valued for adding year-round interest to house walls and is a quintessential part of the charm and elegance of many English country houses. Its ability to tolerate deep shade makes it especially useful in a garden, and there are a wide variety of yellow and white-variegated cultivars that can brighten even the shadiest of walls and fences. Ivy doesn’t just look attractive, studies have found that it cools buildings internally and externally by more than 5°C in summer compared to ‘bare’ buildings. Air trapped in the leaves and stems then acts as building insulation for the winter months. The foliage also acts like an umbrella to shed rain, reducing the humidity inside buildings during the winter. What’s more, its dense evergreen foliage helps to trap airborne pollutants and attenuate noise.
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Ivy on a building performs many useful functions
© Shutterstock
Adding ivy to fence panels benefits wildlife and traps airborne pollutants
Ivy also has enormous value to wildlife:
- Its leaves provide year-round hiding, roosting and hibernating places for various insects, birds and small mammals
- It is a preferred nesting plant for dunnocks, flycatchers, wrens and robins
- Its leaves are an important food source for caterpillars of many butterflies and moths, including the holly blue butterfly and swallow-tailed moth
- If allowed to flower, it offers an invaluable late pollen and nectar source to many pollinating insects, including bees, hoverflies, wasps, butterflies and moths, and its high-fat berries are eaten by numerous different garden birds.
© Shutterstock3 / 3Red admiral butterflies feed on ivy flowers © Shutterstock1 / 3Many birds, including sparrows, build their nests in ivy © Shutterstock2 / 3Ivy supports many moth species, including this old lady moth caterpillar © Shutterstock3 / 3Red admiral butterflies feed on ivy flowers © Shutterstock1 / 3Many birds, including sparrows, build their nests in ivy © Shutterstock2 / 3Ivy supports many moth species, including this old lady moth caterpillar prevnext However, ivy is a fast-growing, vigorous plant and is often seen as a weed owing to its tendency to stray out-of-bounds. On buildings, it can grow into gutters, windows and roofs and make routine maintenance work difficult. Its dense growth may provide access for intruders, and potentially harbour household pests such as mice. In some specific cases, ivy may damage buildings (see below).
What is a weed?
The term ‘weed’ describes a plant that is growing where it isn’t wanted. Weeds usually thrive in average garden conditions, reproducing and spreading easily. It is up to you to decide what you call a weed and what you choose to retain or remove.
What does ivy look like?
Ivy is a vigorous, evergreen climber that can grow to 30m (98ft). Its purple-green stems become woody with age and produce
Adventitious refers to a root or shoot that forms in an unusual location, such as from a stem or leaf. Adventitious roots often help a plant anchor itself, as in the case of those produced from ivy and pothos stems. Both adventitious roots and shoots are produced by leaf cuttings to create new plants, and by many types of orchid when they produce keikis (plantlets) from flowering stems.
adventitious (aerial) roots, allowing it to attach to walls, masonry and fences along with natural surfaces such as tree trunks. It has two forms of growth – a juvenile climbing stage and a mature, bushy, non-climbing stage. The former has glossy, dark green leaves with 3-5 lobes and pale veins; the latter has heart-shaped leaves and bears clusters of yellow-green flowers in rounded heads from September to November. These are followed by black berries which each contain five seeds. Ivy tends to stay in its juvenile stage on house walls and fences, especially if it is regularly pruned, but a mature plant may begin flowering if it reaches the top.
4 / 4Flowers are followed by dark berries © Shutterstock1 / 4Leaves of juvenile growth have three to five lobes and pale veins2 / 4Adventitious (aerial) roots allow ivy to climb up surfaces4 / 4Flowers are followed by dark berries © Shutterstock1 / 4Leaves of juvenile growth have three to five lobes and pale veins2 / 4Adventitious (aerial) roots allow ivy to climb up surfacesprevnext
Did you know?
The 12 species of Hedera, and their many cultivars, have long been studied by botanists. From The Ivy by James Shirley Hibberd in 1893 to Hedera Sorten by Ingobert Heieck in 1980 and the RHS’ Hedera: The complete guide in 2017, there is a wealth of information available to those wanting to learn more about these interesting, diverse and valuable climbers.
How to Grow & Use ENGLISH IVY | Homesteading | Prepping
FAQ
Will English ivy cover a fence?
Unravel and separate the individual stems and lay them to one side. 3 A single ivy plant will easily cover a 1.8m (6ft) square fence panel, so plant it exactly in the middle. Dig out a planting hole close to the bottom edge of the fence that’s deep enough to hold the pot.
Should I remove ivy from a fence?
And while there are ways to incorporate ivy into your garden safely, experts would advise removing ivy from your fence as soon as possible to avoid expensive structural damage.
What is the best ivy for covering a fence?
The Boston Ivy is your best bet – it will give you good coverage quickly and is pretty easy to maintain.
What are the disadvantages of English ivy?
Once established in an area, English ivy is very costly and labor intensive to eradicate. English ivy can overrun your garden, climb fences, and invade your neighbor’s yard and nearby natural areas. The leaves and fruit of English ivy are toxic to humans and livestock and the sap can irritate skin.